One tap means a rest, two taps is let's go and three means I'm tired, that's the system deaf paddler Leisa Jarvis has been using to communicate during the Sale to Sea.

She is taking part in the first day of the 140 kilometre journey, from Sale to Seacombe.

Leisa is one of the 60 paddlers taking part in the four day trip from Sale to Lakes Entrance to raise money for people with disabilities and the charities that support them.

She has been training for around a month with various paddling come and try days.

When Leisa isn't signalling out on the water during the event, she uses the assistance of signer Leanne Wishart who is the rural access project officer at Wellington Shire Council, to communicate with her fellow paddlers.

"I find paddling easy but the first time that we did it, it was relaxed and not so hard. It's a little bit harder this time when we're paddling in the Sale to Sea. It's much longer and my arms are really sore, I'm getting thirsty and I'm running out of energy but it's good fun," Leisa says with the aid of Leanne.

Leanne and Leisa have also worked together in training where the tapping signals sometimes went awry.

"When we were practising we organised the signals and then I was bumping the boat with the paddle and Leisa was looking around going 'What's going on?'. It made it a little bit hard but once we've worked it all out and I'm a bit more careful paddling, it's all smooth now," Leanne says.

Leisa says she enjoys looking at the scenery whist paddling, even though her arms get sore and she gets thirsty.